Worcester Magazine January 24 - 30, 2019

JANUARY 24 - 30, 2019 WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

NEWS • ARTS • DINING • NIGHTLIFE

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Sexual misconduct allegations raise concerns at Holy Cross Page 4

lifestyle

B.T.’s Smokehouse to curate dining experience at Wormtown.

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HEALTH & WELLNESS

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last call

Jon Strader, musician and deejay Page 38

The big, scary MRI isn’t so bad, anymore Kids ‘learn life skills’ through yoga Companies turning focus on employee wellness UMass making strides in ALS research

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in this issue J A N U A RY 24 - 30, 2019 • V O L U M E 44 I S S U E 22

the cover

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Preparing for an MRI exam at Reliant Medical Group, 5 Neponset St., Worcester.

Health & Wellness Story on page 12 Photo by Elizabeth Brooks, Design by Kimberly Vasseur

‘Bone Circle’ an intensely personal journey: Poet Susan Roney-O’Brien’s latest poetry collection, “Bone Circle,” exposes her truth in ways she never had before. 19 All Eyes on Chef Kimberly Haslam: The Worcester’s Best Chef Competition will kick off on Sunday, Jan. 27 at Mechanics Hall. 23

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Find us on Facebook.com/worcestermag Twitter @worcestermag Instagram: Worcestermag

J A N U A RY 24 - 30, 2019

Jon Strader, musician and deejay: This month, Oxford native Jon Strader, who lives in Worcester, is in the midst of an Australian tour with his band No Trigger. On Valentine’s Day, he will return to his life as a coveted New England DJ with an appearance at Warehouse XI in Boston. 31

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news Sexual misconduct allegations raise concerns at Holy Cross F

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J A N U A RY 24 - 30, 2019

SARAH CONNELL

ormer students at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester say the school has not adequately responded to allegations of sexual misconduct against two professors.

In one case, multiple sources from inside Holy Cross have confirmed to Worcester Magazine the 2018 demotion of former Holy Cross Dean Christopher A. Dustin amid sexual misconduct allegations brought forward by a recent alumna. Without detailing the circumstances, the school recently announced Dustin will be on leave during the spring 2019 semester.

In a separate instance in August 2018, five former recipients of the College’s Organ Scholarship came forward with serious allegations against former organ professor James David Christie.

Multiple sources from within Holy Cross indicate the cases of Dustin and Christie are emblematic of a much larger problem.

‘HEARTBREAKING WAY TO LEAVE’

College of the Holy Cross administration building

n the case of Dustin, a 2017 Holy Cross graduate speaking on the condition of anonymity said complications arose in 2015 when she was a junior and was invited to take Dustin’s seminar, which she said is typically reserved for sophomores. Soon thereafter, according to the former student, she was handpicked by Dustin for a work-study position in his department despite the fact she was not on the list of students approved for work-study.

As a senior in fall 2016, the

former student said she felt pressured to write her Senior Honors Thesis under Dustin’s mentorship.

What followed, she said, included romantic advances and explicit sexually-charged comments, which eventually gave way to intimidating behavior and an abuse of power regarding her thesis grade in spring 2017.

“At first, Professor Dustin would compliment me all the time,” the former student said. “He did a good job at making me feel special. In hindsight, I know this was

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ELIZABETH BROOKS

psychological grooming. But over time, this evolved into explicit romantic advances, many of which were over email. He repeatedly suggested we go on ‘dates’ or get drinks together. He bought me gifts, two of which included a bouquet of pink flowers [given to her on the day of a school-sponsored dinner] and an item which had the message ‘I love you’ inscribed on it.”

Dustin’s overtures turned more serious in nature, the former student said.

“As time went on,” she said, “his language became more sexually charged. He told me I was ‘hot’ and said that he would ‘love to see’ my body. He told me he didn’t want to ‘share me’ with anyone else and to stay away from certain other people. Once I began to resist his behavior more clearly, he reacted with anger and hostility, at one point calling me a ‘real bitch’ and making other derogatory remarks. All the while, we never talked about my thesis. The year culminated in the total waste

of an academic opportunity and a humiliating thesis presentation. It was a heartbreaking way to leave Holy Cross.”

According to the former student, in March 2017, two months before her graduation, the professor told her he was going to be appointed dean of the faculty.

The following month, in April, she said she reported his behavior to Holy Cross’s Title IX Office. In June that year, she said a member of the Title IX Office asked her if she had any interest in pursuing an informal resolution. She said she declined.

According to the former student, the formal investigation, including an appeal on behalf of procedural error, stretched out over 20 months, during which time the professor continued to work with female students. In addition, according to multiple sources, he was permitted to maintain his role as dean, advise theses and teach courses for the entire period during which the initial investigation was underway.

Following the formal investigation, according to documents provided to Worcester Magazine, the professor’s interaction with female students was limited by the school. He was stripped of his title as dean and was no longer permitted to conduct private, oneon-one meetings or unsupervised communications with female students or junior employees, including e-mail. Still, he continued to teach on campus.

Most recently, Dustin is listed as having taken a leave of absence.

Dustin did not respond to an email seeking comment for this story. A spokesperson for Holy C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 6

news

Amid criticism, Clean City plan moves to Council committee BILL SHANER

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ouncilors criticized aspects. but overwhelmingly supported an extensive, eight-point proposal put together by City Manager Ed Augustus Jr. to combat litter and blight in the city.

The Council voted unanimously to send it to the Standing Committee on Public Works, and Mayor Joe Petty said he expected to see a revised version back at the full council by March.

Of the eight aspects, two will impact the most people if implemented: the open recycling bins would change to clear bags, and the yellow trash bags would change to drawstring bags at a cost increase.

From the report, it is unclear just how much the change would cost residents. The

Plastic recycling bags in action during an earlier pilot program.

FILE PHOTO

yellow bags are slated to increase by 50 cents each, making a roll of five large $10 as opposed to $7.50. The roll of small bags, at 10 each, would similarly increase from $7.50 to $12.50.

In each roll, the city would include three clear recycling bags. It is unclear whether the bags would affect the overall price of the roll, but the bags will be sold separately as well, at a cost of $1.50 for a roll of 10, or 15 cents each.

At the meeting Augustus stressed the fee increase is the first in 10 years, and goes toward a more robust trash program.

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news

ORGAN SCHOLARS

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he school is also dealing with the fallout of allegations detailed in an August story in The Boston Globe by five Holy Cross Organ Scholars concerning Christie. The five had informed the College that Christie was “an imminent danger” to students on campus.

According to The Globe, Christie was immediately placed on administrative leave and submitted a letter of resignation.

The article reported Christie had been at liberty to hand select and groom organ scholars at Holy Cross during which time he exhibited a consistent pattern of sexual harassment.

“Former students also described a sexually charged environment that included lewd comments, large amounts of alcohol, and unwanted touching over a period between 1994 and 2017,” The Globe reported.

According to the five Organ Scholars, Holy Cross recently extended an offer of three counseling sessions to only one member of the group in response to their request of financial repairs for therapy. In a statement issued to Worcester Magazine, the Five Organ Scholars wrote, “This offer is an insult to that person and to all survivors, and demonstrates a shocking lack of concern and care for the other Organ Scholars suffering as a result of Holy Cross’s negligence.”

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embers of the student body grew increasingly vocal regarding sexual misconduct on campus during the fall semester last year.

The school shut down classes and activities for several hours on a Friday afternoon in November in the wake of an alleged bias-related assault on campus and other concerns.

In early December, a group identifying themselves as sexual assault survivors at Holy Cross hand delivered a list of demands to the office of president Rev. Philip L. Boroughs. The group expressed particular concern about allegations made against two unidentified faculty members. In their letter, they sought to uncover the college’s threshold for tolerating misconduct among faculty members with “unfettered access to students.”

In a statement to Worcester Magazine regarding the letter, Holy Cross said, “... Fr. Boroughs and members of his executive team have responded to say that they take these issues seriously and are committed to addressing them. We will be reviewing the letter carefully and look forward to working with members of the community on this issues.”

The survivors who appeared at Boroughs’ door the morning of Tuesday, Dec. 4 bore a document stating, “We will not settle for a superficial, short-changed response. We commit to defending our legal right to safety and the necessary reallocation of the college’s resources to ensure this safety.”

The group represents an online community called Sexual Assault on the Hill, where accounts of alleged rape and sexual assaults are shared anonymously in the name

of solidarity for survivors at Holy Cross.

A spokesperson from the Sexual Assault on the Hill account reached out to Worcester Magazine Dec. 2, saying, “Law protects students at educational institutions to learn in a safe environment, free from unlawful discrimination and violence. The reality is, there is no transparency in Title IX at Holy Cross. Moreover, even if individuals within Title IX at

HC hold the best intentions, they must adjudicate crimes while also maintaining the public relations of our institution.

“Thus, it is clear that their decisions are compromised and there are severe conflicts of interest that could lead to the compromise of their decisions. We believe this is especially true in the case of professors.”

According to Holy Cross, Boroughs is assembling a team

to create a Sexual Respect and Conduct plan by March 31, which will incorporate feedback from community members and include concrete action steps. Boroughs’ executive team has pledged to improve policies and processes related to Title IX. “The College is in the process of hiring a full-time dedicated Title IX and Non-Discrimination Investigator,” the school said.

ELIZABETH BROOKS

Cross would not elaborate on Dustin’s status, saying the school does not comment on matters of employment.

‘LEGAL RIGHT TO SAFETY’

1,001 words

H O LY C R O S S

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mine

news C L E A N C I TY

industry expectation is 0.5 percent, per the report.

• Public trash bins in business districts, such as Shrewsbury Street and the Canal District, have long been an issue. The city is proposing a partnership between the businesses and the city to provide and maintain public bins.

• The city will provide annual grants to each of the five council districts for neighborhood cleanup days and other such programs.

• The city will bring on a company to provide textile collection.

The program consists of a separate pink bag, sent by mail and set out during a specific week alongside city trash and recycling. The bag can be filled with clothing, shoes, jewelry, purses hats, pictures blankets, pillows, drapes, curtains, silverware, dishes, pots, pans and glasses. The program will help keep the items out of the trash stream, which will reduce what the city pays per ton in trash collection, according to the report.

Bill Shaner can be reached at 508-767-9535 or at wshaner@ gatehousemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Bill_Shaner.

J A N U A RY 24 - 30, 2019 WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

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and instill a positive image of Worcester to visitors and potential investor.”

Here are the other aspects of “You’re paying more, but you’re the plan: getting more,” he said.

• The city will expand hours at The added cost will go toward the Millbury Street transfer stasupporting other services in the tion. On Wednesdays, the center report. Per the manager’s plan, will stay open until 7 p.m. from called the Comprehensive Clean City Program, also includes a team April to November, and the center of workers to clean up problem ar- will run a trial basis on expanded eas, an education campaign, public Sunday hours. It will also reduce the cost for disposing bulk items waste bins in business districts, a $5 per item. grant program for neighborhood • The Clean Team will consist of clean-ups, expanded hours at the four Department of Public Works Millbury Street transfer station workers carrying out targeted and a textile collection program. improvement projects on areas Councilors have for the past several years pushed the manager needing it, including replacing signs, weeding, removing graffiti to come up with a solution to and line repainting. The plan also litter problems in the city after calls for two additional nuisance the issued weighed heavily in the 2017 City Council election season. inspectors to crack down on illegal dumping, overgrowth and private Councilors focused most heavtrash dumped in public bins, ily on illegal dumping and street among other infractions. trash, which many blamed the • The education and outreach open-air recycle bins for causing. effort will be headed by a firm conAt a Council meeting Tuesday tracted by the city. The firm will fonight, Petty threw his support cus especially on public awareness behind the proposal. to cut down on non-recyclables “I thought the plan was a good in recycling bags. In Worcester, plan, a solid plan, a well thought 15 percent of collected recycling out plan,” he said. “Agree or disis contaminated with trash. The agree, this is a map to making the city cleaner.”

But Councilor George Russell, who chairs the subcommittee that will publicly review the proposal, was among the most critical, calling the proposal “not everything I had hoped for.”

Charging more for bags, he said, may lead to more illegal dumping.

“I still am not convinced, but I am open to be convinced that charging more is going to encourage people to do more of the right thing,” he said.

He said he wanted to see more recycling bags included with the trash bags, more hours at the Millbury Street transfer station, and a trash drop-off option at the station as well.

In a summary, Augustus pitched the proposal as a way to make the city more appealing to visitors and possible investors.

“During this time of unprecedented growth and investment in our city,” he wrote, “it has become apparent that we need to expand our efforts to combat litter, illegal dumping, and to address the overall cleanliness of the city. The Clean City Program is designed to improve the city’s overall curb appeal, lead to a sense of civic pride for residents and business owners, C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 5

news artists

worcesteria

culture

Artist spotlight

Sam Harnois is a senior studying communication and Spanish at Worcester State University. Harnois uses his camera and Photoshop to bring the impossible to reality.

Harnois seeks to provide “an escape from the immediate world we live in,” and his work “places a spin on the laws of the physical world and replaces them with endless possibilities of dreams.” While some of his imagery appears upbeat and happy, he hopes they will force the viewer to continue thinking about them as time goes on. Harnois currently has a photo on display in the downtown Worcester Windows exhibit, “Rebirth,” and has shown in several ArtsWorcester shows. You can find more of the artist’s work online at Samharnois.com.

A P R I L 5 - 11, 2018

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Let us feature your artwork in Worcester Magazine’s Artist spotlight! Contact Joshua Lyford at jlyford@gatehousemedia.com for more information!

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J A N U A RY 24 - 30, 2019

wanted

THE RENTS ARE SORT OF HIGH: Interesting to see in the Telegram

earlier this week a story pushing back on a news item from a couple months ago about median rents being up in Worcester 16 percent year over year. The article centered around the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce’s claim the increase was misleading. Instead the Chamber offered data from other sources that showed the rents up closer to 4 percent. But here’s the thing. The data from the first news item, which ran in the Worcester Business Journal, compares December 2017 to December 2018. The Telegram’s story, on the other hand, relies on a comparison of U.S. Census’ American Community Survey results from 2016-2017. Needless to say, that’s not the same year, so what are we doing framing that data like it’s a fair comparison? It makes me scratch my head why the Chamber would come out so strong on this, and on such a shaky leg. The cost of renting in Worcester doesn’t seem like the Chamber’s lane. But by all means, if they want to help solve the clear affordable housing problem in our city, hop in.

THE T&G’S BIG DAY: Speaking of the T&G, their namesake was splashed all over the hallowed pages of the New Yorker this week, in reporter Jill Lepore’s piece titled “Does Journalism Have A Future?” She frames the piece by recounting the time she delivered papers for the T&G as a kid, and seemed all but set up to tackle the problems facing local papers with the line “The local story is worse.” Unfortunately, the meat of the story slips back to national media organizations. Outside some talk of consolidation, the local problem is ignored in favor of more New York media gossip. Hopefully, this opens the door for another story that really takes on the local problem, which to my mind falls squarely on [REDACTED].

TAX THE RICH: Big tip of the hat to state Rep. Jim O’Day, who joined state Sen. Jason Lewis last Friday in refiling a version of the Fair Share Amendment, which would place a new tax on income over $1 million.

The proposal could generate $2 billion, and if you see a problem with taxing millionaires at a higher rate than the rest of us I honestly don’t understand why you read my column. Plus, this doesn’t even do that.

It essentially makes sure millionaires pay something in taxes. Unfortunately, there’s a long road ahead on this bill. As a proposed constitutional amendment, it’s filed in such a way it can dodge the Supreme Judicial Court, which stuck up for those poor millionaires last year when it struck down the first Fair Share Amendment push on a technicality. But it needs approval in two legislative sessions, and then the ballot. The earliest this proposal could possibly go a referendum vote is 2022. Fullblown luxury space communism isn’t easy.

WHAT ABOUT THAT CBA: You remember hearing about the com-

munity benefits agreement when the PawSox development was announced? The agreement that would ensure local labor hiring, benefit for the surrounding neighborhood and an accountability process for the community? You know, the one the majority of councilors said they wanted to see before voting the project through without it – effectively sabotaging the one proven way to get a good one? Well, the Worcester Community Labor Coalition is still at it, bless their hearts. The coalition will host a forum on the Worcester Red Sox ballpark project and community benefit agreements Wednesday, Feb. 27 at the PNI Club at 5:30 p.m. The forum will feature speakers from other communities that secured good CBAs, including Odessa Kelly from Stand Up Nashville, who I had the pleasure of speaking to once about the long, hard fight to get a CBA for a soccer stadium in Nashville (it’s a good one, perhaps the national model even), and John Washington of PUSH Buffalo. I’m starting to feel less optimistic about about a CBA for Polar Park, save someone putting a really creative solution on the table.

Maybe Washington and Kelly will give us that spark.

Bill Shaner, reporter Twitter: @Bill_Shaner

news

the beat

Check online today for coverage of the fourth public meeting on the proposed Kelley Square redesign people have come to call “the peanut.” The meeting, held yesterday in the Canal District,

occurred after print deadline, but is expected to focus on an updated project design, as well as a public workshop section on landscape and streetscape design concepts.

Worcester will hold a forum to address human trafficking next Wednesday, Jan. 30, on the third floor of City Hall. The forum, titled

Living In Freedom Together, will be put on by the Health & Human Services Department and will feature a community conversation with Robin Currie, founder of the Central Massachusetts Freedom Coalition, and a panel discussion moderated by Nicole Bell, chief executive officer of Living in Freedom Together. The forum will run 9-11 a.m.

FILE PHOTO

As the initial buzz slows down, Cultivate in Leicester is lifting self-imposed limits on weekday cannabis sales. Patrons can now

during the week buy the full legal limit – up to one ounce of flower marijuana or five grams of concentrated product. The limits were initially in place to make sure the company could meet demand.

Becker College has launched a new varsity sports: video games.

The college formed a varsity team in the burgeoning competitive video game movement called “esports.” The team will play Overwatch, a first person shooter game. They will play in a tournament later this month.

The Overwatch team joins other teams playing League of Legends and SMITE. About 100 students participate in the college’s esports club.

Worcester County’s wage and employment growth statistics trail behind state and national averages, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Weekly wages rose 2 percent in Worcester County versus 3.5 percent statewide and 3.4 percent nationally. Employment figures went up 0.7 percent in Worcester County in the second quarter,

INSTAGRAM.COM/RR_BREWINGCO/

Shrewsbury Street location will be just down the street from Wormtown Brewery. The opening, from noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, will feature four beers on tap in the 3,000-square-foot taproom.

Bank and Berkshire Bank, based in Leominster and in Pittsfield, with branches in Worcester, will provide fee and loan assistance to the furloughed workers, of which there are roughly 800,000 across the country.

Worcester and Fitchburg received $65,000 and $60,000 respectively for economic development projects through the Massachusetts

Urban Agenda Grant Program. In Worcester, the money will go toward the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Launching Diverse Food Entrepreneurs program, which assists urban restaurant entrepreneurs.

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

Two local banks will offer loans to furloughed federal workers during the shutdown. Fidelity

J A N U A RY 24 - 30, 2019

Redemption Rock Brewing Co. will become Worcester’s fifth brewery with a grand opening planned for Saturday. The

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opinion editorial

A comprehensive trash program

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WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

J A N U A RY 24 - 30, 2019

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t certainly took a while, and there are already critics of some of its components, but the Comprehensive Clean City Program rolled out by City Manager Ed Augustus Jr. is certainly comprehensive. The proposal now heads to the City Council’s Standing Committee on Public Works.

The proposal includes the following: • A four-member Clean Team that would “enter highly visible areas and complete an appearance overhaul.”

• Citywide education, outreach and public awareness, done with the assistance of a firm hired through grant funds. The public awareness campaign would focus on litter prevention, graffiti and illegal dumping, with outreach done through newspaper and radio ads, bill inserts, trash bag inserts and other efforts.

• Trash containers in neighborhood business districts.

• Annual grants to districts to fund neighborhood-based cleanups.

• Expanded hours and services at the Millbury Street Recycling Facility. Hours would be expanded to 7 p.m. Wednesdays, AprilNovember. Sunday hours would also be increased on a trial basis.

• Curbside textile collection.

Through Simple Recycling, households would receive a postcard alerting them to the program about three weeks before it

100 Front St., Fifth Floor Worcester, MA 01608 worcestermag.com Editorial 508.767.9527 WMeditor@gatehousemedia.com Sales 508.767.9530 WMSales@gatehousemedia.com President Paul M. Provost Publisher Kathleen Real-Benoit

starts. That would be followed by the mailing of free, pink textile bags and a brochure. The bags hold items such as clothing, shoes, jewelry, purses, hats, etc.

The bags are collected by Simple Recycling van drivers on trash/ recycling collection day.

• Clear bag recycling. Three, 32-gallon, clear drawstring bags for recycling would be included in each roll of five large city trash bags and each roll of 10 small trash bags. Rolls of 10 clear bags would also be available to buy at stores that sell the city trash bags. The bags, according to the city, are recyclable.

• Drawstring yellow trash bags would replace the current twisttie type bags.

Before the plan was even unveiled, there was already talk the clear plastic bags might replace the current bins used for recycling. Covered bins and wheeled bins were deemed not cost effective, among other things. The wheeled bins were also deemed not suitable for a city of hills.

There are critics of the clear bags, but, with the exception of being susceptible to contamination by food waste, the city said the bags went over well in a pilot program.

The biggest pill to swallow here may be the cost. The program would hike the cost of each bag by .50 cents, leading to a $10 cost for a roll of five large bags, and $12.50 for a roll of 10 small bags. A roll currently costs

$7.50. Homeowners and renters typically bristle at any suggestion of a tax increase or more fees, such as parking. The truth of the matter is, there is a cost to the services the city provides.

Indeed, the biggest mistake the city has made may have been in not raising the price of trash bags previously, even if by a minimal amount. That said, the education component could help lead

Editor Walter Bird Jr. Culture Editor Joshua Lyford Reporter Bill Shaner Photographer Elizabeth Brooks Contributing Writers Stephanie Campbell, Sarah Connell, Janice Harvey, Jim Keogh, Jim Perry, Kristina Reardon

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to folks more wisely depositing their trash and recyclables, and not having to buy new rolls too frequently. The textile bags should help in that regard.

The proposal first must clear the Public Works Committee, where Chairman and District 3 Councilor George Russell is expected to scrutinize the cost increase as well as the hours of operation at the Millbury Street drop-off facility. Speaking with Worcester Magazine, Russell indicated the expanded hours may

not be enough. Russell also took issue with the city’s estimated increased net cost of recycling of $600,000 in fiscal 2020.

The city manager’s proposal likely will not sail through Council-or the public, for that matter- without some pushback and questions, perhaps even requests to tweak some of the proposals.

One of the suggested changes may be the per-bag cost increase.

Still the Clean City Program is a strong start at addressing trash problems in Worcester.

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opinion

letter

WRTA deserved mention under ‘19 Things’ To the Editor: As always, Worcester Magazine’s annual year-start “like-to-see in the coming year” survey is informing, interesting and healthful lettuce in the salad of greens to grow on (“19 Things In 2019,” Jan. 10).

Still, there would be other important local matters that (maybe for sake of space) didn’t make it into the “Top 19 of ’19,” including our local public transportation.

The Worcester Regional Transit Authority has been dissed by the state Legislature, largely ignored

by the highest officials with their “levelized funding” castoff, as were other RTAs in the state. Typically a gesture sans foresight, it required the WRTA to scramble for extra funds for maintenance and operation, notwithstanding input from ridership and local advertising, or a few other sources.

Since the WRTA moved into their new station, they’ve tried doing the best they could to grow, while not ultimately falling back on the evil duo of fare increases and service route curtailments.

The recent election has infused the new blood of many more individuals with progressively helpful ideas who should interact with a popular governorship to oversee any such discrepancies the RTAs across the state have had to endure, for 2019 and beyond.

Worcester Magazine would be well-positioned to continue informing the Worcester area populace of any effectual events related to this and other public services. It deserves at least a “bubbling under the Top 19” consideration.

Ramsay MacInnes Cherry Valley

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feature

HEALTH

& WELLNESS

Whether you’re fit as a fiddle or could use a little tune-up, chances are you give some thought to overall health and wellness. We put together this special issue with that in mind, looking at breakthroughs or improvements in medical technology, a focus on health in the workplace, and how yoga isn’t just for yogis anymore. Inside, find out how researchers at UMass Medical School are closing in on a breakthrough in treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Discover how medical facilities are working to make MRIs a little more comfortable for patients. See what some area employers are doing to help their employees live healthier lives. And hear from yoga instructors who say more and more children are taking up the practice. It’s our Health & Wellness issue, so dive in, get inspired and be healthy!

The big, scary MRI isn’t so bad, anymore WALTER BIRD JR.

ering; the constant loud clunking sound doing nothing to soothe your nerves. If you are claustrophohe fish floated through an underwater tapestry of coral bic, or have trouble staying still, reefs, joined at one point by a MRIs can be a harrowing experience. The typical MRI can last up curious sea turtle. Suddenly, to 45 minutes. Some patients reject the fish were gone, and waves could be seen gently lapping at the the MRI outright, even if a doctor said it is necessary. sandy shore of a beach. It was a Gary Vecchio is one of those parelaxing scene that soon gave way tients. Battling cancer that first apto another: the image of someone peared in 2006 and reappeared last floating through space. year, he has been treated through On occasion came the sound of UMass Memorial Health Care. Last a man’s voice through headsets: year, he decided to seek a second “How are you doing?” opinion, turning to Dana-Farber I was doing just fine, actually. I Cancer Institute in Boston. had volunteered to go through a There was just one problem: magnetic resonance imaging mathey wanted to put Vecchio chine at Reliant Medical Group’s through an MRI. new office at 5 Neponset St., near “I had done MRIs twice. They the Greendale Mall. I had heard were awful for me,” he said. “First MRI technology was changing, of all, I’m claustrophobic, and even driven in no small part by patient though I didn’t have to go all the experience. way in, it was an anxiety thing for I’m not sure what I expected going in, but it certainly wasn’t the me. The major thing was these MRIs last about 40 minutes. You ability to press a keypad outside need to be perfectly still for 40 the exam room and watch as the minutes. You can’t move. Other lighting changed and an ocean scene appeared on a screen on the than breathing, there’s literally no other movement you can make. wall. When the technician placed I’m fidgety. I’m always on the move. a contraption on my face and told My body actually ached from being me to close my eyes, I wasn’t exstill for that long.” pecting to open them and see the The MRI, Vecchio said, was a same image I had just seen on the dealbreaker. He ended up staying wall. I also wasn’t expecting to be with UMass, who he credits with able to keep my arms by my side.

Going through an MRI years ago, saving his life, with CAT scans twice catching his cancer. He likI had to fold my hands over my stomach, which had me feeling not ened the MRI to “torture.” He said he had two at UMass. unlike a corpse. Space, to say the “One I did awake,” he said. “I least, was tight, akin to a torpedo said, ‘If you want to do another, tube. And you had to lay perfectly you’ve got to knock me out.” still. The noise, too, was overpow-

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The writer, Walter Bird Jr., goes into the magnet for an MRI exam at Reliant Medical Group, 5 Neponset St., Worcester.

ELIZABETH BROOKS

Patient experience is a big reason why some medical facilities, as they look for better, more effective MRI technology, are also looking for ways to make patients more comfortable for the 40-45 minutes it takes to go through a MRI. Music and video are among the options given to patients, particularly chil-

dren, many of whom might otherwise need to be anesthetized in order to complete their MRI exam.

A wider bore (70 centimeters on the machine at Reliant as opposed to 60) offers more space as well.

The noise is still somewhat off-putting, but the distraction of videos and music, which can be

hard to hear over the whirring of the machine, and having more space is helpful.

Chris Foster, director of diagnostic services at Reliant Medical Group, readily acknowledged the issues patients have had with MRIs. The description of a torpedo shute, he said, was accurate. What-

feature

Kids ‘learn life skills’ through yoga STEPHANIE JARVIS CAMPBELL

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ith more and more people turning to yoga as a way to strengthen the mind and body, a growing number of parents are enrolling their children in classes as well, for the same benefits adults have been seeking – balance control, stress reduction, meditation and healthier lifestyles.

Alexandra De Collibus, who has been practicing yoga 20 years and is the founder of Sweet Pea Yoga, said she has seen the increase in kids’ enrollment evolve over the past decade.

“It’s a much more familiar thing to families to consider as an activity than they were 15 years ago,” she said.

Linda Davis, a Charlton resident who has been practicing 35 years and teaching for 21, agreed.

“The practice of yoga is booming,” Davis said. “When I started in the early ’80s, you couldn’t find a yoga studio.”

Now, she said, studios are every-

Linda Davis teaches a preschool yoga class at Charlton Public Library.

ELIZABETH BROOKS

where and the practice, even among children, is becoming more popular.

“Kids are natural yogis,” said Davis, who leads preschool yoga classes and community yoga classes at the

Charlton Public Library, as well as classes for senior citizens in various towns, including Auburn and Sturbridge.

When De Collibus first started

teaching yoga to children, she originally thought her students would be children of parents who were already yoga practitioners. Through the years, however, she has found many of those parents are not yoga enthusiasts at all.

“It suggests to me that even adults who don’t practice yoga recognize the value of it,” she said.

That value comes in the form of many benefits, such as learning how to organize their emotions and reactions, becoming sensitive to their bodies and learning what feels comfortable, and helping to relieve stress. Yoga helps “to find a steadiness within themselves,” said De Collibus, who lives in Southboro and whose classes are offered at various yoga studios in Westboro, Hopkinton and Framingham.

For the preschool-age children, particularly those who aren’t in daycare, yoga classes introduce them to a group setting and allow them to be engaged with other kids their age.

Nichole Hubert, who resides

in Leicester and is a certified Just Kiddin’ Around Yoga teacher, said in her classes she sometimes has the kids do partner poses, which also teaches them how to work in groups.

She currently teaches classes at the Millbury and Sutton libraries, as well as at the North Grafton preschool, and also has an upcoming session at the Oxford Free Public Library.

Through yoga, kids also learn selfawareness, build creativity, use their imaginations, work on balance and create strong bodies. In doing so, it is “setting them up for healthy lifestyles through their lives,” Hubert said.

De Collibus agreed, saying, “I really think learning yoga is helping kids learn life skills.

When they feel confident enough to listen to the signals their bodies are giving them through their yoga classes, it will help them in many situations throughout their lives.

“The practice of yoga is giving them the practice of being a healthy, confident, mindful person in life,” De

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feature Companies turning focus on employee wellness STEPHANIE JARVIS CAMPBELL

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n many companies, gone are the days when employees showed up, did their work and went home. These days, companies are encouraging their employees to be healthier and happier through workplace wellness programs that offer fitness challenges, a multitude of resources and, in many cases, incentives for tracking their progress.

“Employers are focused, I think, more now than ever on employee well-being as a value proposition for

why employees want to work there,” said Kristie Howard, board chair of the Worksite Wellness Council of Massachusetts, an independent resource for health promotion in the workplace.

Championing a healthy workplace and encouraging employees to “be their best and bring their best selves to work” allows companies to be competitive, said Howard, instead of those workers seeking out other jobs in the industry in environments that are more health- and wellness-friendly.

“People have come to expect that their employers will support them,” she added.

Wellness programs also have been a focus lately due to the benefits – employees who are healthier are more productive and collaborative, and help keep job costs down, such as absenteeism rates, workers’ compensation costs and health insurance costs.

In short, Howard said, “Healthy employees cost less.”

To promote health and wellness in workplaces, the WWCMA was

launched in 2011 with the mission of creating a community for people who are passionate about improving employee well-being, by offering networking opportunities and forums for sharing and learning. Since 2015, it has held the WorkWell Massachusetts Awards to recognize employers that share in its vision and offer outstanding wellness programs. Employers can submit their programs for award consideration, and criteria is based on an application and the HERO Employee Health Management Best Practices Scorecard in Collaboration with Mercer.

“The process of completing the HERO Scorecard is a fantastic tool for benchmarking yourself against other employers,” Howard said, adding all applicants, even those that don’t place, receive a personalized comment letter from the judging panel that offers feedback on their companies’ strengths and opportunities for continued advancement.

Locally, both UMass Memorial Health Care and the College of the Holy Cross won Silver WorkWell Awards at the fall 2018 awards ceremony. For Holy Cross, it was the second such win; the institution also won silver in 2017.

Holy Cross offers a wellness program in collaboration with Fallon Health, now entering its sixth year.

It is a free benefit to all employees, not just those enrolled with Fallon for health insurance, and started when college administrative officials wanted to offer “something more robust” to faculty and staff for health and well-being, according to Melissa Cutroni, Human Resources office coordinator Worksite Wellness manager.

One of the essential components of Holy Cross’ program is to have a full-time dedicated resource on site, a role that is filled by Jenn Coode, the Fallon Health Worksite Wellness manager.

“My key role is to serve the campus community with programming to keep them well,” she said.

Some of that programming includes “Mission in Motion,” a four-week activity challenge; the “Go Move Challenge,” which are minute-based activity challenges conducted during February in competition with more than 20 other Jesuit programs across the country; and yoga and meditation seminars offered at the college’s Thomas P. Joyce Contemplative Center in West

Melissa Cutroni, left, of Holy Cross and Jenn Coode, Fallon Health Worksite Wellness manager for Holy Cross, holding the WorkWell Silver Award the school received from the Worksite Wellness Council of Massachusetts.

SUBMIT TED

Boylston. Coode said she also plans monthly wellness challenges, family events and activities such as wellness bingo.

“Certainly, we want our campus population to be healthy, but we also want that to translate to family lives,” Coode said.

Employees complete tracking sheets to monitor their progress, and sometimes prizes are offered for those who complete certain challenges.

“Sometimes, it’s a gift card.

Sometimes, it’s a FitBit. We do try to incentivize participation,” said Coode, adding, “Overall, we have seen an increase in participation.”

Likewise, with UMass Memorial Health Care, employees are given incentives to participate in the myHealth Matters, an online portal launched in November 2013 that allows them to enroll in challenges, get unique content geared toward their interests, track their progress and engage with others. Run by a third-party company, Limeade, myHealth Matters is open to all benefit-eligible employees, even those who opt of the health insurance.

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feature ever the reason, some patients, like Vecchio, simply do not want to go through an MRI, even though their doctor ordered it.

“We changed because of technology,” Foster said of Reliant’s new MRI machines, “but we also had the opportunity of what can we do to help our patients beyond just the technology.”

Reliant ended up going with a company using ambient technology.

“It sets up a mood in the room, if you will, to kind of take that patient’s perception away that they’re going into a torpedo shute or this cold room,” Foster said, with a nod to another criticism of MRIs: the temperature. The machines function at colder temperatures. That can also make it uncomfortable for patients.

“The ambient technology was to change the patient’s view immediately as they’re going into that room,” Foster said. “The patient can choose a theme, a beach scene, underwater. For kids, there’s more cartoony scenes. Before they even walk into that room, as soon

as they pick that, it changes the color, changes the video. So you’re immediately thinking, ‘Maybe I’m not just going into this machine.”

UMass Memorial Health Care has also gotten in on the act, recently installing a brand new magnet at its university campus, giving them two at that location. The newest, according to Max Rosen, chair of radiology for UMMHC, features the latest technology, including 128 channels to allow for more information to be recorded in a shorter amount of time. That, he said, will shorten the length of some exams. The new machine, like Reliant’s, also features a video component, with goggles allowing patients to watch while they are inside the magnet. That, said Rosen, will prove particularly helpful with children.

“By having a video system,” he said, “we think for about half the children we scan in the 4-10 age group, they’ll be able to have [an MRI] just watching a video.

It makes the exam safer for the child. Obviously, it’s lower cost, because you don’t need anesthe-

sia, and less time tying up the magnet.”

In addition, the new magnet has software to reduce metal artifacts in the MRI, which Rosen said will allow those who had knee or hip replacement surgery, or have hardware in the spine, to be scanned with sharp-quality images.

The new machine at UMass also has MR elastography, which Rosen said will allow for the discovery of fibrosis in the liver. That, he said, could sometimes eliminate the need for a liver biopsy.

The newer, more patient-sensitive machines are going over well, according to Foster. While they are just starting to collect data, the anecdotal evidence, he said, shows patient satisfaction.

“Just talking to patients as they walk out,” Foster said. “It starts with the patient interaction. To be able to have facilities that match the technology and the level of service we’re trying to bring. I talk to people as they’re walking out and they come out with a smile on their face.”

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Collibus said.

For older school-age kids, Davis said, “The element of mindfulness comes in, the more meditative part.”

Hubert agreed, saying her students in the 11- and 12-year-old range “really thrive on it because I can get more into the mindfulness of it. The older kids, they can get it for what it is. They can get a lot out of it.”

No matter what the age, though, when they are quiet and just sit, “the stillness of the body leads to the stillness of the mind,” Davis said.

“I think for children, and adults as well, anytime you stop and slow the breath and consciously try to inhale for longer, that slowing of the breath and the stillness of the mind leads to the nervous system calming down and leading to the heart rate dropping a bit.”

Those deep breaths, said Hubert, can help students, particularly in school, with “centering yourself and focusing on the present moment, rather than what’s coming next or what just happened.”

In addition, according to the yoga instructors, so many children

these days struggle with anxiety, whether it’s overall, academic, social or performance-related – and those anxiety levels are higher than ever, due to the times we live in.

“Yoga is a way to calm that stress and anxiety … to feel their own personal power,” Davis said.

Added De Collibus, “A lot of the kids who come to me are struggling with panic attacks and anxiety, and those are serious issues for adults and those are serious issues for kids.”

“The ability for kids to manage their stress and their anxiety,” she continued, “that’s essential. They deserve at all ages to have the tools to better manage it.”

Rose Felix Cratsley, founder and CEO of Icy Child International, a nonprofit organization that originated in Worcester, said, “I think the world is more stressed now than it ever has been. I think kids are more stressed now than they ever have been. We’re in a position where we have to seek a remedy or alternatives to cope – and not in the ways we’ve been coping.”

The practice of yoga, she said, is one way to do that.

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feature EMPLOYEE WELLNESS

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“Our philosophy is, at any point in time, they can lose their health plan and they’ll come on to ours, and we need to care of them then,” said Thomas Ward, Wellness Program manager for UMass Memorial Health Care. “Our mantra is to be the best place to give care and get care.”

Currently, according to officials, the program has 11,200 eligible individuals, with 7,000 registered on the platform, across 70 separate geographical locations, including UMass Memorial Medical Center and its administrative buildings, UMass Medical Group and UMass Memorial HealthAlliance. Last year, myHealth Matters typically had about 2,670 monthly users.

“The engagement level among our employees is very high,” said Alan Weston, vice president of Benefits Compensation & Well-

ness, noting one reason is because “health care is hard. When you choose to work in health care, most of the people are committed to beyond earning a paycheck.”

Users can complete an employee health risk assessment, which will then create unique, data-based content for them when they sign into the portal. They can choose to take part in myChoice challenges or organizational challenges, as well as read or watch informational content. They also can choose to leave comments so they can interact with other users, and some of the activities are team-based, both of which add a social component to the platform.

Overall, there are “well over 100 activities that people can participate in throughout the year,” Ward said.

Employees can join at any time during the year, and in January the entire site is refreshed with new content, all of which is available through the portal and compatible with about 80 different apps.

The program — which also won a Best Practices Award through the New England Employer Benefit Council — is structured into five incentive tiers: Bronze (1,000 points),

Silver (2,000), Gold (3,00), Platinum (4,000) and Elite (5,000). All eligible users are entered to win Amazon gift cards of either $50 or $100, reimbursements for their Health Reimbursement Accounts and other wellness prizes, depending on the rank they achieve.

Both Holy Cross and UMass Memorial Health Care employees said wellness programs are increasingly important to their workplaces.

“I think it’s critical to have wellness as part of the workplace because that culture has totally shifted. We don’t just go to work and go home. We’re so connected to work because of the technology,” said Coode, adding people not only work, but also sometimes have second jobs or are caregivers to others in their family. “I think people are so many things in their lives. It’s sometimes hard to fit wellness into the frame of their lives.”

Similarly, over at UMass Memorial Health Care, “We look at not just fitness and nutrition. It’s also safety, peer-to-peer interaction, caregiver burnout,” Ward said. “My goal is to basically have our employees feel empowered to take care better care of their health.”

Weston agreed, saying the goal

is to “live healthy lives, not just be good for this fiscal year.”

Though both Holy Cross and UMass Memorial Health Care have large-scale programs, smaller companies that don’t have as large of a budget can do simple things to encourage worksite wellness. Said Howard, “It starts with leadership support and commitment.”

Simple actions, she said, can include organizing group activities with leader participation, swapping out unhealthy food options, ensuring employees know how to access the free resources already available to them through their benefits program, and forming a strategic plan.

However it’s done, though, Howard said it’s important that companies invest in wellness programs for the right reasons to effectively maximize the impact to its employees.

“I’m so incredibly optimistic about the future of our organization and the impact we can have with our member companies,” she said.

“I am a true believer that employer efforts can have an impact.”

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“It’s an opportunity to ignite a superpower as a way to cope with and combat stress … and to widen the gap between impulse and action,” Cratsley said.

Ivy Child International ran the hugely-successful Yoga in the Park, an intergenerational program on Saturday mornings during the summer that saw thousands of people gather in Worcester’s Elm Park and City Park – everyone from family with infants to senior citizens and the homeless. Although the event was last held in 2017, Felix Cratsley said she would love to see Yoga in the Park return.

“That was really a remarkable experience,” she said, adding, “It became a community celebration.”

Yoga also teaches children it’s not a one-size-fit-all practice and that what they experience in class and in doing the poses will be different from their friends. Although De Collibus, Davis and Hubert all use different teaching methods, they agree yoga focuses on building better sensitivity to their own bodies and what feels comfortable for them. De Collibus said he challenges her students, but she also wants them to “practice developing that skill of resilience of making mistakes.”

“Learning these poses, it’s not going to come easily,” she said. “I deliberately teach things that are going to be out of reach for them, so they work toward something in a way that has no risk. These kids can make mistakes in my class and chuckle after that.”

And, De Collibus said, “I remind them there are so many ways to learn. If they stub their toe and they can’t do a pose, I expect them to watch. There’s so much they can learn from watching.”

Sometimes, she said, a pose may not look particularly “pretty,” but “they can see the calm and steadiness on the person’s face, and that’s the point – not the pose.”

Although kids’ yoga classes are becoming more mainstream, Davis said she would love to see the practice become more integrated into physical education classes at schools, particularly for those who don’t participate in sports or find other types of exercise tedious.

“Yoga is something every body can do because there are so many variations,” Dshe said. “It can be a lifelong practice. It’s not something you can grow too old for.”

feature UMass making strides in ALS research BILL SHANER

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esearchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School may have cracked an important code for treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the neurodegenerative disorder sometimes called Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

Christian Mueller and Dr. Robert Brown, two UMass researchers, produced a paper last year providing evidence for a treatment using gene therapy to nip the disease in the cellular bud, so to speak, using an innovative new medical practice called gene therapy.

This approach could eventually be carried out with a safe, one-time treatment, the researchers argue.

The study is currently going through a pilot trial, and may soon move toward more extensive clinical trials, a process that takes roughly a year.

The team has been researching the treatment for close to eight years, a relatively quick turnaround by medical research standards, and aided by the many ALS funds like the Angel Fund, Mueller said in an interview with Worcester Magazine.

“From a personal side, it is one of the diseases that I work on that when you meet the patients, your

ALS is three to five years.

Its cause remains a mystery, but researchers believe genetic and environmental factors are at play.

There is no known cure for ALS, and all the approved treatments focus on improving symptoms. Treatments currently involve ventilation, feeding tubes and a medication called riluzole, which can extend the lifespan of an ALS patient.

The disease, being both physically devastating and incurable, has been the focus of large-scale charity campaigns, the most famous perhaps

being the Ice Bucket Challenge, in which people dumped a bucket of ice water on their head on social media to raise public awareness. Stephen Hawking joins Lou Gehrig as an American notable to succumb to the disease.

Each year, roughly 6,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with the disease.

Mueller and Brown’s research builds off a report released in 1993 which found the disease was linked to mutations of the gene known as C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 18

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Diagrams from the report featuring gene suppression and injection method.

heart sinks on how aggressive and quick the disease takes hold,” said Mueller. “You can have a perfectlyhealthy 35-year-old and at the prime of life, and gets diagnosed with disease, and ends up of a respirator in two to three years. It serves as a source of urgency and inspiration.”

ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder affecting the central nervous system, causing lack of voluntary and involuntary muscle movement, and leading to paralysis and death. Once diagnosed, the average survival rate of a patient with

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feature ALS RESEARCH

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superoxide dismutase, or SOD1.

Mueller and Brown found that RNA sequences, which are essentially DNA copies, can suppress the harmful mutations that cause ALS in both familial and possibly sporadic cases of the disease. The RNA drug can be delivered through spinal fluid, per the research, via a virus which researchers effectively tricked into carrying the RNA therapy. In suppressing the mutations, it is believed motor function death can be avoided or possibly reversed. Once injected, the researchers found the RNAs reduced SOD1 production by as much as 93 percent. The delivery device, technically an adeno-associated virus, attaches itself to motor neurons in the spine, which could be as long as three feet. Once attached, they deploy the RNA dose.

The virus is injected through a lumbar puncture and a catheter, Mueller said, a process not unlike a spinal tap.

The 15-page report, titled “Safe and effective superoxide dismutase

Christian Mueller, PhD, and Robert H. Brown Jr., DPhil, MD. COURTESY PHOTO

1 silencing using artificial microRNA in macaques,” was published in the journal Science Translational Medicine by the American Association for the Advancement of Science last year. Mueller and Brown are two of seven researchers credited on the report. The others are Florie Broel, Gwladys Gernoux, Huaming Sun, Rachel Stock and Meghan Blackwood. They come from universities and research centers around the country.

There are 185 possible mutations

of the SOD1 genes, and the treatment developed has a particular way of silencing all possible mutations, where before it was thought a different treatment would be needed for each one, per the report. Silencing the gene’s mutations “profoundly delays disease onset and death and significantly preserved muscle strength and motor and respiratory functions,” the study found.

The researchers tested on animals, and the animals did not suffer any

immediate side effects. The treatment elicited no immune system reaction in tests, and didn’t cause any liver toxicity. A common problem in gene tests, off-target gene silencing, was not detected. The researchers argued the research showed injecting RNAs through the spine is an effective way to silence the diseasecausing mutations in the right cells.

Per the report, the group is not alone in researching the therapeutic silencing of the SOD1 gene, but other studies to this point have focused on methods that would require repeat dosing. This model relies on a onetime done.

“The work presented here builds upon previous studies demonstrating that suppression of SOD1 expression ameliorates the disease course in a mouse model of ALS, preserving motor and respiratory functions,” the authors wrote.

Ultimately, the pair are advocating the research be taken to the next step and translated into clinical trials for patients. In fact, a pilot human trial is authorized by the Federal Drug Administration and underway, per the report. The researchers wrote

in their conclusion they felt cautiously optimistic the treatment could better treat familial ALS, as well as sporadic cases caused by other SOD1 gene mutations.

Gene therapy in general is a relatively new way of looking at diseases like ALS, Mueller said, and it was made possible by other discoveries

by UMass doctors like microRNA dosing.

Alongside the SOD1 gene therapy, Mueller is part of a team pursuing a similar treatment for another gene, C9ORF72, thought to be another cause of ALS. “That’s a program that is in a much earlier stage, but also something that has been showing some promise in the lab,” said Mueller.

Bill Shaner can be reached at 508767-9535 or at wshaner@gatehousemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ Bill_Shaner.

culture

Poet Susan Roney-O’Brien in her Princeton home.

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culture

Roney-O’Brien’s ‘Bone Circle’ an intensely personal journey JOSHUA LYFORD

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t’s a crisp January afternoon as poet Susan Roney-O’Brien settles into a comfortable chair in her Princeton living room. She is surrounded by old maps. A compass painted on the floor points north.

Her chocolate lab traipses, tongue lolling, tail wagging, into the space.

He climbs precariously onto her lap.

“He likes being the center of attention,” the poet said, smiling. “He thinks he’s a lap dog and — as far as his mouth goes — he is a lapdog.”

Unlike her dog Oliver, whose tail beats like a metronome on a table

in the center of the room, RoneyO’Brien doesn’t enjoy being the center of attention. In her latest poetry collection, “Bone Circle,” published through Kelsay Books, the poet exposes her truth in ways she never had before. “Bone Circle” is intensely personal and in sharing these poems, Roney-O’Brien reveals parts of her life she had not previously shared in print. Until a friend in a writing group told her others with similar experiences would be deprived of “being able to have words for the things she went through,” they may have stayed in her private collection forever.

“I had to unload,” she said, leaning back in her chair. “I had been alienated from my family for 26 years, after my mother died. It was hard to decide whether to send it anywhere or not, because it’s so personal. That’s why the first poem is there. It gives me an out in case my family finds it and reads it. I can say, ‘Oh no, that’s a friend of mine, they just told me their story.’ The first one is a cover-my-ass poem.”

The poem she is referring to is called “Disclaimer,” a fascinating look inside the architect of the collection and of the collection itself. When you read, “I was wondering how to

Poet Susan Roney-O’Brien in her Princeton home with her chocolate lab, Oliver.

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Susan Roney-O’Brien, poet, displays a handmade gift she received on her most recent trip to China.

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tell you. Your life is my life. In fact, everybody’s life is my life. 0 Just so you know,” you understand hers is a different sort of selection.

Like a perfect rural Massachusetts stonewall-framework, the poet parallels her work. Both are honest — sometimes bluntly so, sometimes gingerly — and both are reflective.

O’Brien speaks softly, but with a quiet authority. She never charges into an interview response, preferring a more thoughtful approach, but she doesn’t lean on a false confidence. RoneyO’Brien, the woman and the poet, are exactly who they are and that’s that.

So when asked who she wrote “Bone Circle” for, she responded the only way she could: with great consideration.

“I want to say it’s for the people who don’t have voices, but I didn’t think that when I was writing it,” she said. “That’s kind of me showing you that I’m really a good person.

That’s probably not true. Everything you write is about you, whether you think it is or not, because it shows some part of you. Whether you’re good at looking closely at things, or stepping back and examining a relationship, it’s all about you. I didn’t realize that about poetry until about three months ago. I don’t like being the center of attention, I don’t like being in the spotlight. I’m much more reticent.”

Seated in her warm farmhouse next to her 100-pound chocolate

lab, Roney-O’Brien may be reticent, but she is certainly not afraid to dive deeply into her answer.

“I dont think it’s for my kids,” she said. “I sent them the manuscript before it got out because I didn’t want them to be shocked. My daughter’s response was, ‘Oh mom, did all of these things really happen to you?’

That’s part of why disclaimer is there, to protect my kids view of my life growing up. Not changing the past, but sugar coating it a little bit.”

As Oliver circles the coffee table, eventually settling on a position on the living room couch, RoneyO’Brien pauses, before tilting her head and gazing to the corner of her room. All of her answers were the truth, but some truths are more potent than others.

“There are people out there who don’t know how to start talking about things like sexual abuse, parental avoidance of issues, stuff like that.

It would be nice if they could see that it’s OK,” she said.

There are no other questions left on the stained reporter notepad, but there aren’t many needed when chatting with Roney-O’Brien. She is as honest and open as she is warm and funny. Her sense of humor is always waiting just beneath the surface to punctuate the conversation, but every so often the room stops and the air seems to go still. Her home knows when she is about to speak her truth and anyone listening does too.

culture “I don’t know how much is real memory, how much is stuff that my mind has put together, stuff that people have told me,” she said of her poems. “That’s why there’s never any final resolution if there was sexual abuse or not, I really don’t know. I hope that comes through.

There wasn’t any definite answer to whether that happened or not. I feel that’s true for a lot of women.

You remember it a certain way. My mother always tried to talk me out of it, so I don’t know if I remember it the way it happened or whether I made it up or filled in the blanks.

Your brain does that. That’s another thing that happens in the book. You are not given an answer, you’re given the possibilities. I think that’s good, it doesn’t blame anyone. I didn’t want to blame anyone because that wasn’t something I needed.”

The poet sits up and walks across the room to a shelf near a glass door revealing the forest behind her home.

She picks up a fan covered in Chinese calligraphy. For the time, the subject changes. The poet, who would demur from the limelight when possible, just returned from a trip to China alongside seven other writers.

“They’re under the impression

ELIZABETH BROOKS

that I’m really famous,” she said with a laugh. Roney-O’Brien has been published in the country for 20 years.

“It was like being a rockstar. We were in five-star hotels, we were carted around. Everywhere we went, there were newspaper people and television cameras. It was insane.”

While she enjoyed the trip, RoneyO’Brien was acutely aware of the struggle the Chinese population — women in particular — face.

“They showed us what they wanted us to see, that was very clear,” she said. “Women and men are treated very differently in China.

It’s getting better, but because I knew that, I had to give a course. I gave it on American women poets.

Afterward, one woman came up to me, a Chinese woman who had been teaching in Denmark for 10 years.

She had recently come back and she had a PhD and she thanked me for mentioning the women. She said, ‘We don’t know much about women poets in China.’”

In order to be published in China, you must be a part of a state-sponsored workshop. Approval of those workshops goes through a board and, whether for anti-subversionary reasons, or reasons of maintain-

ing long-standing gender roles, the male-dominated publishers operating the workshops allow for few women.

“There are a few,” Roney-O’Brien said, folding her fan back into itself.

“But they’re very carefully watched.”

Back home in Princeton, where Roney-O’Brien writes each morning after returning from Oliver’s morning walk, she sits back down in her chair by the window and reflects on the poetry in “Bone Circle.” There is a smile on her face, but it is not for us, and she speaks to someone that may or may not be in the room.

“I got rid of alot,” she said calmly.

“One of the things I’ve always said is that with poetry, you’ve taken an ugly experience out of your head and put it on a piece of paper. That paper looks like a frame. If you’re putting something in a frame it has to be perfect. It doesn’t have to be perfectly beautiful, it has to be perfect for what it is. The poems that come out, they may not be pleasant, but they are the best they can be.

They tell the kind of truth that needs to be told.”

“Bone Circle” can be purchased online at Kelsaybooks.com or at Bedlam Book Cafe at 138 Green St.

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culture

Adoption option Welcome to Adoption Option, a partnership with the Worcester Animal Rescue League, highlighting their adoptable pets. Check this space often to meet all of the great pets at WARL in need of homes.WARL is open seven days a week, noon-4 p.m., 139 Holden St. Check them out online at Worcesterarl.org, or call at 508-853-0030.

PHOTO: WARL VOLUNTEER LYN T.

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W O R C E S T E R M A G A Z I N E . C O M J A N U A RY 24 - 30, 2019

Mya was picked up by a good Samaritan after she

was found wandering on a bike path. Mya knows her basic commands. She is a sweet girl who is eager to please and ready to learn more. Mya has become a staff and volunteer favorite, and loves to go for runs, rides, and romp around with rope toys. She should be the queen of her new castle, as she should not share her home with other animals or children (older teenagers might be okay). Mya is truly a sweetheart and is looking for the right home to compliment her awesome personality. She is spayed, 2 years old, and ready to go home today!

Can’t adopt, but still want to help? Here are some of WARL’s regular needs: Pet Supplies: Dog and cat food (both canned and dry). Purina brand preferred. Please no grainfree; Non-clumping kitty litter; Bedding, comforters, blankets and towels (not pillows & sheets); Kuranda Beds; martingale collars.

Pet Toys – For cats: furry mice and balls with bells, stuffed animals for orphaned kittens to snuggle against; For dogs: Kongs, Ruff Wear, Jolly Balls, Tuffies, tennis balls.

Office Supplies: Copy paper (white and colors), postage stamps, pink and blue post-its, etc. Staples gift cards are always welcomed!

Computers, Laptops, Printers: Newer models or gently used models are welcomed.

Medical Supplies: Latex gloves, gauze, anti-bacterial hand sanitizer, popsicle sticks, Dixie cups, One Touch Test Strips.

Commercial Washers: Each day we wash and dry close to 45 loads of blankets, towels, bed and toys.

Sometimes there isn’t enough hours in the day for us to wash all the dirty laundry, or Heaven forbid a machine breaks. A commercial washer will ease that stress, speed up the process, and relieve the staff and volunteers of washing small loads multiple times each day so they can instead use their valuable time and talents with the animals.

Paving: A dirt parking lot behind the building often becomes an unwanted pond or skating rink due to poor drainage and dirt consistency, but paving it could cost the shelter thousands of dollars that we’d rather use towards the mounting medical bills. Can you help?

Digital Camera: for photographing the pets. Newer models or gently used models are welcomed.

Cleaning Supplies: Paper towels, 33-gallon trash bags, sponges, bleach, dish soap, “HE” (high efficiency) laundry detergent, Lemon Joy soap.

Amazon Wish List: Can’t stop in?

Do you like the ease of shopping online? Visit our Amazon Wish List, and the items will be shipped directly to WARL!

culture Lyford Files

Lifestyle

JOSHUA LYFORD

SARAH CONNELL

A BARREL OF LAUGHS: I’ll be the first to admit I don’t know a thing about com-

Truckin’ to City Bar and Grille

edy. I have stand-up comic friends and I enjoy seeing them, but until recently I wasn’t aware a comedy club atmosphere was different than an open mic environment. Yeah, I get that is a stupid statement, but I’m all about wearing my nonsense on my sleeve in this column. I’ve really enjoyed posting up at Nick’s or Bull Mansion or occasionally Ralph’s Diner, listening to my friends and the occasional unfamiliar face crack jokes over a beer. It’s a good vibe, lemme tell ya. But, in case you are somehow unaware, a new comedy club has opened up downtown.

It’s called WooHaha and it’s in the “Grid District,” which is a district by measure of the Grid owning and operating a number of businesses (think “Theatre District,” in that the Hanover is the only theatre in the space).

GET ON WITH IT: Hopefully, you caught that Monty Python and the Holy Grail

joke, but I’ll reiterate, comedy is certainly not my gig. Anyway, I had originally planned on doing two shorter stories in the culture section of this fine print product, but I got carried away writing about one of my favorite modern poets in the whole world, Susan Roney-O’Brien and I tell ya, once you’ve written 1,400 words about a book called “Bone Circle,” you don’t make cuts. So, instead, I am going to Lyford Files-ize my original planned story on the opening of WooHaha. I don’t do “outlines,” so you’ll be along for the ride as I figure this thing out streamof-consciousness style.

IN CLOSING: That’s what the college students write in

their papers right? I really enjoyed the opening night of WooHaha and would certainly go again. I will probably arrive earlier to sauce up properly and I certainly won’t wear my brightest red flannel, but otherwise, great job to the staff.

Al Soto is gearing up to open City Bar and Grille on Chandler Street in the former home of Cafe Espresso.

SARAH CONNELL

B.T.’s Takes Wormtown

On Feb. 25, chefs Brian Treitman and Bill Nemeroff of B.T.’s Smokehouse will curate an intimate dining experience at Wormtown Brewery. Before opening one of New England’s most highly-acclaimed barbecue spots right in our own backyards, Treitman worked closely with industry titans Jamie Bissonnette and Ken Oringer in Boston. The evening is tailored to showcase technique beyond the world of barbecue. Each of the four courses will be paired with a Wormtown brew. Tickets are available in advance for $115 on the Mass Foodies website. You can see both chefs challenge one another in the Worcester’s Best Chef Competition on Sunday. Treitman will compete on behalf of B.T.’s, while Nemeroff will represent Lettuce Be Local.

All Eyes on Chef Kimberly Haslam

The Worcester’s Best Chef Competition will kick off on Sunday, Jan. 27 at Mechanics Hall.

For the first time in its 12 year history, votes will be cast by text message. This year’s list of competitors features only one woman, Kimberly Haslam of Depot Street Tavern. Her bio reads, “Kim is looking to show women do belong in a professional kitchen!” We wholeheartedly agree.

PunchPops Please

Worcester natives Nassim Aoude and Michael Melkonian have officially launched PunchPops, a wine-infused ice pop company toting icy 7.5-percent ABV treats. The project took shape in Aoude’s basement with over 10,000 handmade pop trials. In 2018, Total Wine & More began carrying the product. Total Wine is one of the largest independentlyowned liquor stores in the country. Currently, PunchPops are only available at Total Wine stores in Florida, but the brand will expand to New England later this spring. A box of 12 pops retails for $19.99 and a single pop for $1.99.

Sarah Connell contributing writer

TALK OF THE COMMONWEALTH ECONOMOU AND ROSEN SHOW WORCESTER MAGAZINE RADIO HOUR

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Streaming live, 24-hours a day at worcestermag.com

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

Joshua Lyford Culture editor @Joshachusetts

he worked in kitchens in Japan, France and Spain.

Soto has been dedicated to improving America’s food systems since the early ’90s, when he signed on with Chefs Collaborative. At City Bar and Grille, he will make local food accessible to the community through simple and refined cuisine. You can expect his mother-in-law’s pierogi recipe, chicken and dumplings, short ribs and house-smoked bacon. Soto is eagerly awaiting the delivery of his first whole animal to break down in the new kitchen. The space itself, formerly Café Espresso, features Soto’s own handmade furniture, along with seats salvaged from the Boston Garden. He has already crafted a playlist for a forthcoming Grateful Dead-themed brunch.

Soto has seen the Grateful Dead in every state but Alaska and Hawaii, amounting to a grand total of 172 shows.

J A N U A RY 24 - 30, 2019

HOT TIPS: I don’t know where that saying came from, but since this was my first foray into a pure comedy venue, I figured I’d offer some pointers for first-timers. The way I figure, readers of this column will fall into two categories: those who have been and are thinking to themselves, “Oh, my God, how lame” and “Oh, my God, how lame, but alright, maybe I’ll read.” Tip number one: it’s a sort of hybrid open seating rule. Folks sit as they arrive and the remaining seats are filled, with the aid of WooHaHa staff. I arrived with a good friend and bandmate, took the time to get a drink at the exterior bar, and as we entered we were placed with three very nice young women. I actually loved the experience of quickly meeting new folks at a round table over drinks. Tip number two: take a leak before you sit. There was never really a window to get up, though you obviously could if you have to. Just prepare for the high probability of a roast. Tip number three: if you read this column, you already know I like my beverages flowing. The staff does their best quietly bopping around the tables, but maybe order two or three at a time to save yourself the trouble. This may lead to issues with tip number two.

Tip number four: don’t accidentally dress exactly like your good buddy. The interactive roasts come quick and snappy and that’s a big part of the charm. I absolutely love it. However, if you aren’t looking to draw attention to yourself, probably a bad idea to be dressed like two LL Bean catalog model rejects that fell on hard times and woke up in a dumpster. Two identical red flannels, black tee shirts, blue jeans, boots, similarly combed hair and both having two sleeves of tattoos is open season for commentary. Tip number five: how to pay your tab. I am a big dumb idiot. I know this. You know this. The way the club rolls, as not to disturb the comedians’ sets, at the end of the show the servers bring your check. Somehow, I didn’t understand this (perhaps due to tip number three) and ended up wandering around trying to figure out who and how to pay. Don’t be like me.

City Bar and Grille is set to open on Worcester’s west side by early February, led by owners Al and Cynthia Soto. The couple has lived in Central Mass for 17 years, during which time Al commuted daily to Boston, working for Troquet and the East Coast Tavern Group. Before that,

culture

Choose Ciao Bella 402 Grove St., Worcester 508-756-2426

C

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W O R C E S T E R M A G A Z I N E . C O M J A N U A RY 24 - 30, 2019

iao Bella has landed at the top of my takeout list for decades, but my dine-in visits have remained infrequent.

And unless you dine in at Ciao Bella, you can not know the pleasures of dipping salty hunks of warm, fresh bread into sweet little saucers of marinara.

The dining room is chilly on account of a steady stream of customers who swing the front door open and stick to the confines of the long black doormat, waiting for their orders to come up. Paintings of European beach scenes dominate

the decor, along with several Christmas cards masking taped to the counter up front. Green shuttered closets give way to stark tiled floors that servers mill about, dressed in all black.

The service is friendly, both at the counter and at tables. The floor team operates out of a blue cooler set atop a station that peeks back into the kitchen. Ciao Bella’s curvy wooden chairs are comfortable, tracing the silhouette of each guest’s back. There are also plenty of highchairs for young families.

The Syrian salad ($8.59) is large enough for a party of four to share at the start of their meal. It includes crumbling hunks of feta cheese, onions, olives, pepperoncinis and buttery housemade croutons. A tart, lemon-mint dressing arrives on the side to add a welcome punch of acidity at your discretion.

Ciao Bella is known for its pizzas, which boast soft, floury crust and the distinctive sweetness of graham crackers. The Porcino ($12.99 for a small, $17.99 for a large, or $12.99 for a calzone) combines sausage, pepperoni, roasted peppers, mushrooms, caramelized onions,

breast with artichokes and a white wine sauce. It is finished with fresh basil, mozzarella and a light lemon garlic sauce.

Ciao Bella is bright and breezy, but it won’t offer much in the way of ambience. That said, it’s a cheap date if you BYOB and don’t mind looking at each other. Expect others to spot you as well; Ciao Bella is a hotbed for chatty west-siders and police officers. The takeout is excellent, my only criticism being they can sometimes be heavy handed with the capers.

On my last dinner date at Ciao Bella, our bill came to just $38.06 and we left with two days worth of leftovers.

Ciao Bella’s Syrian salad is served with house-made lemon-mint dressing. milky mozzarella and a hint of nutty parmesan. Pies travel well and allow the takeout boxes to absorb some of their moisture. In-house, slices are scrumptious but floppy. Go for a classic fold approach to avoid losing

your toppings on the table.

As for entrées, nothing tops the chicken carciofi ($13.99) which can consequently be ordered on a pizza as well. The dish, served over pasta, includes a sautéed organic chicken

Explanation of Stars: Ratings are from zero to five. Zero is not recommended. One is poor. Two is fair.

Three is satisfactory. Four is good.

Five is excellent.

Food: HHH1/2 Ambience: HH Service: HHH Value: HHH

culture Miles, Mendez, and Mrs. Maisel

JIM KEOGH

A

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few scattered thoughts while pondering why the world needs two Captain Marvel movies released within a month of each other (“Captain Marvel” in March and “Shazam” in April): • I’m late to the party, but this weekend I finally caught up with “Spiderman: Into the SpiderVerse.” Wow. This one is an exploding, cascading, work of pop art that reimagines the Spider-man mythology through the adventures of Miles Morales, a Brooklyn kid who assumes the heavy responsibility — thanks to a radioactive spider bite, of course — of becoming New York’s newest arachnid superhero. “Spider-verse” feels like a game-changer in look, tone, and risk. Catch it on a big screen if you can.

• Also, if “Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse” doesn’t win this year’s Academy Award for best animated feature, then I don’t see the point of having the category.

• I’m in the midst of hate-watching the second season of the Netflix series “Friends from College,” chronicling the romantic misadventures of a group of pals (male and female) so obnoxiously self-absorbed they seem incapable of tolerating any humans beyond their smug little circle. It stars good people — Keegan-Michael Key, Fred Savage and Cobie Smulders among them — doing cringe-worthy things. So why watch? Because sometimes you just need to feed off your loathing like a vampire at the neck. I can’t explain why, but it feels fantastic. Bring on season three.

• Along these same lines, I was a modest fan of the first season of Amazon Prime’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” but after watching the premiere episode of season two, I may pack it in. The episode includes a scene where the 1950s housewifeturned-comic visits a Paris drag club

and commandeers the stage, launching into an extended riff about her failed marriage and other life woes.

The audience and queens eat it up — they laugh, they cry, they marvel.

In what alternate universe does an American elbow her way onstage and charm a French audience? It was one of the least authentic pieces of writing and performing I can remember.

• “The Kominsky Method,” with Michael Douglas and Alan Arkin, earned a couple of Golden Globes, and has been renewed for a second season, so that should mean something. Despite the strong reviews, the awards, and the personal recommendations of a few folks whose judgment I trust, I’ve resisted watching it because I can only envision this series as an extended old guyswith-prostate problems joke.

• As I write this on Monday morning, I’m still reliving last night’s thrilling Patriots victory over the Chiefs. Though I’ve seen countless movies with plots that get your blood racing, nothing can compare to the real-time excitement of a great playoff game.

• CIA spy Tony Mendez has died, but his story never will. Mendez engineered the escape of six American diplomats from Iran during the 1979-81 hostage crisis by posing as a Canadian movie producer who visits Iran to scout desert locations for a science fiction film. With the help of Canadian officials, Mendez successfully smuggled the Americans out of the country by fooling the Iranians into believing they were his production crew. The episode was recounted in the 2012 film “Argo,” with Ben Affleck playing Mendez.

• The very definition of the criticproof movie? “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The Freddy Mercury biopic suffered tepid reviews, yet earned a lot of love from the public ($200 million at the box office) and Golden Globes voters (best drama and actor). Apparently, Queen is still Jim Keogh the champion. contributing writer

calendar

Thursday, Jan. 24 DRUMline Live!

Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge St. The Legendary Historically Black College and University (HBCU) band experience heads to the Hanover Theatre with a world-class cast of percussionists, musicians and dancers.

Friday, Jan. 25 Water Lilies to Waterloo: An Evening of Monet and Flowers Opening

Worcester Art Museum, 55 Salisbury St. The opening of the Monet’s Waterloo Bridge exhibition comes while WAM’s annual Flora in Winter event wraps up.

Enjoy the combination with entertainment, hors d’oeuvres and cash bar.

Friday, Jan. 25 Chris Pennie

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WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

J A N U A RY 24 - 30, 2019

WooHAHA, 50 Franklin St. The 2012 CMT Next Big Comic finalist, Plymouth Rock Comedy Festival finalist and finalist in the Dick Doherty Beantown Comedy Riot, Chris Pennie heads to the brand new comedy venue.

Friday, Jan. 25 Winter Soiree

Mechanics Hall, 321 Main St. Cocktails, dinner and dancing at Mechanics Hall.

Friday-Sunday, Jan. 25-27 2019 Worcester Auto Show DCU Center, 50 Foster St. Twenty major auto manufacturers head to the DCU to show off their exciting new vehicles.

calendar Sunday, Jan. 27 Worcester’s Best Chef Competition

Mechanics Hall, 321 Main St. When 19 chefs come together to compete for the title of Worcester’s Best Chef, you know the evening will be exciting.

Head to Worcestersbestchef.com to grab your tickets now.

At last year’s Worcester Best Chef competition, deadhorse hill’s Chef Robin Clark, the first woman to ever make it to the top three selected for the Iron Chef challenge, accepted first place for the Judges’ Choice award.

ELIZABETH BROOKS

Saturday, Jan. 26 Worcester Railers vs. Adirondack Thunder

DCU Center, 50 Foster St. The Worcester Railers have a bit of, um, history with the Adirondack Thunder. Head to the DCU Center to cheer on the home team.

J A N U A RY 24 - 30, 2019

Worcester Railers Friday, Jan. 18 The Railers (17-16-3-2) won their season-high fourth straight game, a come-from-behind, 3-2, overtime affair with the first-place Newfoundland Growlers.

Saturday, Jan. 19 The Railers (17-17-3-2) lost at home to the Growlers, 5-1.

(Upcoming: The Railers kick off a home-and-home on the road with the Adirondack Thunder Friday, Jan. 25, before returning home to take on the Thunder Saturday, Jan. 26.

The team then visits the Manchester Monarchs Sunday, Jan. 27 and the Brampton Beast Wednesday, Jan. 30.

27

Worcester 78’s (Upcoming: The 78’s whose Jan. 19 home tilt against the New England Outtatowners was postponed due to weather, take on the Elite Kings at home Saturday, Jan. 26. The 78’s then take on the Outtatowners on the road Sunday, Jan. 27)

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

The Score

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WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

J A N U A RY 24 - 30, 2019

LEGAL Invitation For Bids The Worcester Housing Authority invites sealed bids for Roof Replacement MA 12-15 1050 Webster Square WHA Job No. 2017-29 in accordance with the documents prepared by GAROFALO DESIGN ASSOCIATES, INC. The work is estimated to cost $1,048,295.41 Project consists of but is not limited to: Roof replacement, masonry repairs, electrical work including lightning system and related work.

General Bids will be received until 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday February 20, 2019 at the Worcester Housing Authority, Department of Modernization, 81 Tacoma Street, Worcester, MA 01605 at which time and place all bids will be publicly opened and read aloud.

Filed Sub-Bids will be received until 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday February 13, 2019, and publicly opened and read aloud at the same address. Filed sub-bids will be taken for the following portions of the work: SECTION 042000 UNIT MASONRY SECTION 260000 ELECTRICAL WORK A pre-bid conference will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday February 5, 2019 at 1050 Main Street (Webster Square) Worcester, MA 01603 at which time bidders will be invited to visit the project site with the Worcester Housing Authority representative. Failure to attend or visit the premises shall be no defense in failure to perform contract terms.

Bids are subject to M.G.L c149 §44A-J and Davis Bacon wage rates as well as other applicable laws. General Bidders must be certified by the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) in the following category of work: ROOFING. Filed Sub-Bidders must be certified by the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) in the following categories of work: MASONRY and ELECTRICAL. Each bid shall be accompanied by a bid deposit in the amount of 5% of the bid price in the form of a Bid Bond, issued by a responsible surety company licensed to do business in Massachusetts, or a certified check, or a treasurer’s or cashier’s check issued by a responsible bank or trust company, made payable to the Worcester Housing Authority by bidders for the greatest possible bid amount.

Bid forms and Contract Documents will be made available on the Worcester Housing Authority website (http://www.worcesterha.org/currentbids.html) at no cost. Hard copies will be made available on January 23, 2019 at the Worcester Housing Authority, Department of Modernization, 81 Tacoma Street, Worcester, MA 01605 and thereafter, Monday thru Friday 8:00 A.M. through 4:30 P. M. Copies of the contract documents may be obtained by depositing $50.00 in the form of a company check, made payable to the Worcester Housing Authority, for each set of documents so obtained. The amount of the deposit will be refunded to each person who returns the plans, specifications and other documents in good condition within ten (10) days after bid opening. Bidders requesting contract documents to be mailed to them should include a separate check in the amount of $40.00 for each set payable to the Worcester Housing Authority to cover mailing and handling costs.

The contract documents may be seen, but not removed at: 1. Worcester Housing Authority, Department of Modernization, 81 Tacoma Street, Worcester, MA 01605 2. F.W. Dodge, 24 Hartwell Ave., Lexington, MA 02173 3. Reed Construction Data, 30 Technology Parkway South, Norcross, GA 30092 4. Project Dog, 18 Graf Road Unit #8 Plan Room, Newburyport, MA 01950 Attention is called to the following: 1. Provisions of Equal Employment Opportunity; 2. Provisions for payment of not less than the minimum wages as set forth in the Specifications; 3. Provisions of Chapter 14, Acts of 1966, Imposing a Temporary Sales Tax, Section 1, Subsection 6 (d) and (k) exempting the Authority from the operation of such a chapter; 4. Requirement to furnish and pay for a Performance Bond and a Labor and Materials Bond as set forth in the specifications, 5. Insurance certificate indicating coverage for public liability, property damage and workers compensation, in accordance with the contract requirements, must be filed by the successful bidder upon signing of the contract.

The contract will be awarded to the responsible and eligible bidder with the lowest proposed contract price including the dollar amount of all accepted alternates.

Questions regarding this project shall be submitted in writing 72 hours prior to opening and emailed to Mod-Bids@worcesterha.org. Reference the WHA Job Number: 2017-29 only in the subject line.

Worcester Housing Authority Joseph P.Carlson, Chairperson

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J A N U A RY 24 - 30, 2019 WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

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Invitation For Bids The Worcester Housing Authority invites sealed bids for Penthouse Chimney Demolition at 30 Wellington Street, Worcester, MA 12-06 Wellington Street Apartments in accordance with the documents prepared

by CBI Consulting, LLC. The work is estimated to cost $70,000.

Project consists of but is not limited to: Penthouse chimney demolition. Work to include removal of the chimney masonry structure to 3’-0" above the roof. Cap remaining masonry with metal form deck and concrete, cover masonry with ¾" fire rated plywood and EPDM roofing and flashing, coat exposed concrete wall of the elevator penthouse with elastomeric coating, and reinstall existing lightning rod cable & supports. Install full height garbage chute vent.

General Bids will be received until 3:00 p.m. on February 7, 2019, at the Worcester Housing Authority, Department of Modernization, 81 Tacoma Street, Worcester, MA 01605 at which time and place all bids will be publicly opened and read aloud.

There will be a pre-bid conference on January 24, 2019, at 10:00 a.m. at 30 Wellington Street, Worcester, MA 01610.

Bids are subject to M.G.L c149 §44A-J and Davis Bacon wage rates as well as other applicable laws.

Each bid shall be accompanied by a bid deposit in the amount of 5% of the bid price in the form of a Bid Bond, issued by a responsible surety company licensed to do business in Massachusetts, or a certified check, or a treasurer’s or cashier’s check issued by a responsible bank or trust company, made payable to the Worcester Housing Authority by bidders for the greatest possible bid amount.

Bid forms and Contract Documents will be made available on the Worcester Housing Authority website (http://www.worcesterha.org/currentbids.html) at no cost. Hard copies will be made available on January 16, 2019, at the Worcester Housing Authority, Department of Modernization, 81 Tacoma Street, Worcester, MA 01605 and thereafter, Monday thru Friday 8:00 A.M. through 4:30 P.M. Copies of the contract documents may be obtained by depositing $50.00 in the form of a company check, made payable to the Worcester Housing Authority, for each set of documents so obtained. The amount of the deposit will be refunded to each person who returns the plans, specifications and other documents in good condition within ten (10) days after bid opening. Bidders requesting contact documents to be mailed to them should include a separate check in the amount of $40.00 for each set payable to the Worcester Housing Authority to cover mailing and handling costs.

The contract documents may be seen, but not removed at: 1. Worcester Housing Authority, Department of Modernization, 81 Tacoma Street, Worcester, MA 01605 2. F.W. Dodge, 24 Hartwell Ave., Lexington, MA 02173 3. Reed Construction Data, 30 Technology Parkway South, Norcross, GA 30092Street, Worcester, MA 01605 4. Project Dog, 18 Graf Road Unit #8 Plan Room, Newburyport, MA 01950 Attention is called to the following: 1. Provisions of Equal Employment Opportunity; 2. Provisions for payment of not less than the minimum wages as set forth in the Specifications; 3. Provisions of Chapter 14, Acts of 1966, Imposing a Temporary Sales Tax, Section 1, Subsection 6 (d) and (k) exempting the Authority from the operation of such a chapter; 4. Requirement to furnish and pay for a Performance Bond and a Labor and Materials Bond as set forth in the specifications, 5. Insurance certificate indicating coverage for public liability, property damage and workers compensation, in ac cordance with the contract requirements, must be filed by the successful bidder upon signing of the contract.

The contract will be awarded to the responsible and eligible bidder with the lowest proposed contract price.

The Worcester Housing Authority reserves the right to reject any or all bids, in whole or in part, or to waive any formalities in the bidding if it be in the public interest to do so. No bid of a General Bidder shall be withdrawn, after opening thereof, prior to thirty (30) days, Saturday, Sundays, and legal holidays excluded, without the consent of the Worcester Housing Authority.

Questions regarding this project shall be submitted in writing 1 week prior to opening by noon time and emailed to Mod-Bids@worcesterha.org Reference the WHA Job Number 2017-08 only in the subject line.

Worcester Housing Authority Joseph P. Carlson, Chairman

games J O N E S I N’

“Free Range” — another freestyle puzzle for everyone.

by Matt Jones

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J A N U A RY 24 - 30, 2019

Across

1 Video game series where you follow the moves of onscreen characters 10 Food service giant based in Houston 15 Very soon 16 Knightley of “Atonement” 17 La Paz currency 18 Archipelago feature 19 Took the offer 20 Mystical foresight 21 Employer of Africa correspondent Ofeibia Quist-Arcton 23 Idris of “The Wire” 25 Play ___ (cause mischief) 27 Sooner than soon 28 Distributed cards 30 Ballet practice 32 Two before Thu. 33 Journal opening 35 Abbr. before a founding date 36 Musical genre for 1990s punk band Bikini Kill 38 “’Scuse me” 41 Western movie hangout 44 “Chandelier” singer 45 Muscle-to-bone connector 46 Makes the scene 48 Leave behind 50 Stereotypical librarian admonition 52 Shiraz, for one 53 “Tell me ...”

55 Velvet finish?

57 Aptly titled '80s film about BMX racing 58 RR station posting 59 It’s on a continuum 62 Fulcrum for an oar 63 Character whose headwearhad a tag reading “10/6” 64 Ravi Shankar’s instrument 65 Completely broke

Down 1 Shied away, slangily 2 Still squeaking 3 Meme nickname of Turkish meat-seasoning chef Nusret Gokce 4 “Enough already!”

5 Peace proponent 6 They shun most technology 7 Three-part flavor 8 Tapper’s home 9 English prep school 10 Steers clear of 11 Simple question type 12 Early movies 13 Soldier’s hairstyle 14 Cereal grain item 22 In ___ (“on paper”) 24 Smartphone setting 26 Long-eared dogs 29 Quindec- divided by five 31 Some stone finds at archaeological digs 34 Peanut butter-based Girl Scout Cookie 35 Macaroni shape 37 2020 political event in Charlotte, for short

38 John Stockton has the most in NBA history 39 Sony competitor 40 Eavesdropping range 42 “True, no?”

43 Titles differently 45 “Watchmen” director Zack 47 “Why is this night different ...?” feasts 49 Cub Scout pack leader 51 Anne of “Donnie Brasco” 54 Sch. at West Point 56 “Swell!”

60 “N’est-ce ___?”

61 Inits. for supplementary costs at a car dealership

Fun By The Numbers Like puzzles? Then you’ll love sudoku. This mind-bending puzzle will have you hooked from the moment you square off, so sharpen your pencil and put your sudoku savvy to the test!

Here’s How It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!

Last week's solution

Call 978-728-4302 or email cmaclassifieds@ gatehousemedia.com today to place your ad here! ©2019 Jonesin’ Crosswords (jonesincrosswords@gmail.com) Reference puzzle #920

last call Jon Strader musician and deejay T

his month, Oxford native Jon Strader, who lives in Worcester, is in the midst of an Australian tour with his band No Trigger. He’s serious about melodic punk, hardcore and koalas. On Valentine’s Day, he will return to his life as a coveted New England DJ with an appearance at Warehouse XI in Boston. Follow him on Instagram at @gostradergo.

You’ve traveled all over the world and you’ve lived on both coasts. Why do you choose to return home to Worcester?

Because I grew up here and all of my family is here. My sister just recently had a child, so I’m an uncle now. It’s really nice to be home. It’s funny because when you move away, you always hear, “Oh, you’ll be back home.” I’m glad I came back. The way I see it, now I have another place where I can get away and it will still feel like home. You know what I mean?

Is that how you feel about San Diego? Oh my God, yes. It’s literally like a second home to me.

San Diego is a melting pot for the whole world. There are so many people that are transplants from all over. I see friends every time I’m out there.

Did you play music while you were out there? No, and that’s what kind of brought me back home. While I was out there from 2009-2011, No Trigger was on a little break, but I was frequently meeting people who were really into the band and they were wondering what was going to be next for us. That really spearheaded my coming home to write another record. My initial plan was to go back, but I ended up staying here because I got in nice with my friends who run a drum company, SJC Custom Drums.

When did playing with No Trigger move beyond a hobby to become an important part of your career? I would say we’re still on a working man’s vacation now. Most of us work for ourselves, so we’re able to continue to play, which is nice. A lot of bands we grew up touring with, bands we’ve traveled the world with, have had their final shows. We just continue to keep going and putting out music whenever we can.

And when was your last record?

We did a small record in 2017. We did a Europe tour, we did a South America tour, we did another Europe tour, and now it’s going to take us to Australia.

Who organizes your tours in other countries? We have an agent in every country, whether we go to Europe or Japan or Australia. The last time we were in Australia was 2011 and it was ELIZABETH BROOKS

be beer from Lord Hobo, food from Roxy’s, Parlor Ice Cream and The Danger Photo Booth. You want to pick up a Tinder date? You want to come with your mom? You want to take your significant other?

Whatever. Everyone is welcome.

Tickets are available through The Danger Booth. I think it’s going Did I hear that someone brewed to be great because a lot of times a beer for you in Australia? Yes. people are like, “What are we going to do on Valentine’s Day?” This That’s pretty cool. It’s a big sponis a collective, cool little event at sor for the tour that brewed the a really nice venue called Warebeer with our band’s name. house XI. Do you have a sense of what You’ve probably seen every the venues will be like? I think we have played a lot of the venues venue in the city of Worcester. What is the most common before, but we are venturing to venue you play at? The bar scene some new spots, too. We’re hitis fun, but as far as events there’s a ting Tasmania, a small island off lot at the White Room run by Amy Australia. We’re also being flown Chase from Crompton Collective. to Perth. Perth is on the western It’s a completely clean slate, so you side of Australia, which we didn’t get to hit when we were there last can design the whole space to be your own. time. our agent’s first project. The tour was such a success that he was able to bring a lot more bands over from the U.S. and he’s been able to continue to do that for the past eight years. Now we’re just kind of stoked that we get to go back and work with him again.

– Sarah Connell

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Where can we see you DJ when you get back from Australia?

There’s going to be a cool Valentine’s event that my buddy Zac Wolf is putting on with his wife out in Boston at a really rad warehouse space. It’s called My Dangerous Valentine. There’s going to

On the rare occasion you aren’t working, where do you hang out in Worcester?

I actually hang out a lot at my office in the Ivy Corset Building.

I always welcome anyone and everyone to come by. We’re kind of spoiled with a pool table, ping pong table, foosball table. We hold a lot of networking events and little parties.

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

What did performing with No Trigger teach you about being a DJ? I’m able to read a crowd. I can see the vibe or the atmosphere being created. Every event is different, especially with weddings.

What is the most unique event you’ve deejayed in Worcester?

Secret Walls was very unique.

It was cool because it’s an event with a worldwide following and I got to bring my vibe to all of these artists as they were painting. The amount of people that showed up for Secret Walls was just intense.

It was awesome. Someone literally jumped over the fence behind me while I was deejaying. A lot of the artists came up after because they were into what I was playing while they were performing.

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It seems like you never stop playing music because you’re also a DJ. What sort of events do you DJ? I do a lot of weddings and corporate events. That’s something that I’ve been doing since I was 13 years old. Turning it into a “career” is pretty awesome.

I’m around music all the time. I have a passion for performing and writing and playing music in front of people. I still get to kind of do that.

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